Letter to Accountability Coordinators

April 15, 2013

Dear Accountability Coordinators:

CHANGES TO THE 2012 BASE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE INDEX

The purpose of this letter is to inform you of changes to the methodology for calculating the 2012 Base Academic Performance Index (API). The 2012 Base API is tentatively scheduled for public release in mid-May.

The CDE will use the CALPADS Operational Data Store (ODS) for continuous enrollment and demographic data to calculate the 2012 Base API. Continuous enrollment calculations will be based on enrollment and exit data in CALPADS (from October 5, 2011 through the first day of testing). If the statewide student identifier (SSID) on a student answer document (SAD) is missing or does not match a student record in CALPADS, that student will be considered continuously enrolled. Demographic data will also be obtained from CALPADS. However, if the SSID on a SAD is missing or does not match a student record in CALPADS, the demographic data on the SAD data will be used.

The CDE will use CALPADS for demographic and special programs (i.e., English learners, students with disabilities, and socioeconomically disadvantaged students) data to calculate the 2013 Growth API and 2013 AYP. If the Pre-ID file provided to Educational Testing Service (ETS) has any missing or invalid SSIDs, those students’ race/ethnicity will be reported as "two or more races." In addition, these students will not be included in any of the special programs. In order to avoid this, please ensure that all student records submitted to ETS have valid SSIDs. Districts may add or correct SSIDs by using the Extended Pre-ID Data Corrections module. The deadline for submitting corrections is the last selected day of testing for the administration and is shown as the end of the extended Pre-ID data corrections window. The school district pays no additional fees for extended Pre-ID data corrections as long as a valid purchase order was submitted for Pre-ID.

Grade Eight and Nine General Mathematics

In March, the State Board of Education (SBE) approved to eliminate the requirement of lowering performance level(s) for grade eight and nine students taking the General Mathematics California Standards Test (CST). Currently, the General Mathematics scores for grade eight are lowered by one performance level and lowered by two performance levels for grade nine. The approved changes will be incorporated in the 2012 Base API. Eliminating this requirement will assist schools as they transition to the Common Core. This action is intended to encourage schools to concentrate on mathematics instruction that deepens students’ understanding of mathematical concepts.

Grade Four and Seven Writing Results

The Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson, and the SBE have made a quick turn-around of student performance data on the CSTs and California Modified Assessment (CMA) a priority for the 2012–13 test administrations. This decision impacts the way we will report the writing component for the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program in 2013 and 2014.

In order to accomplish a quick turn-around, the writing portion of the English-language arts (ELA) tests for grades four and seven will be reported separately from the English Language Arts ELA scale scores for CST and CMA. The writing score will be provided as a raw rubric score. The writing rubric score and the score descriptor from the scoring rubric for each score point will be provided on the student report. However, due to the quick turn-around of writing scores planned for this year, the writing scores will not be calculated as part of the scale score for ELA.

Although the impact of the writing results on ELA scores is minimal, the Academic Accountability Unit (AAU) will remove the writing results from the 2012 ELA scores to produce the 2012 Base API. This will allow for an appropriate comparison between the 2012 Base and the 2013 Growth API.

Questions regarding this letter should be directed to Justin Lane, Associate Governmental Program Analyst, AAU, by phone at 916-323-1341 or by e-mail at jlane@cde.ca.gov.